pave

pave the way (for someone or something) (with something)

Fig. to prepare the way with something for someone to come or something to happen. (Alludes to paving a road.) I will pave the way for her with an introduction. I am sure I can pave the way for your success. I will pave the way with an introduction.

See also: way

road to hell is paved with good intentions

Prov. People often mean well but do bad things. (Can be a strong rebuke, implying that the person you are addressing did something bad and his or her good intentions do not matter.) Jane: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings; I only wanted to help you. Jane: Oh, yeah? The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

See also: good, hell, intention, road

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pave the way for something

to be a preparation which will make it possible for something to happen in the future Scientists hope that data from this expedition will pave the way for a more detailed exploration of Mars.

See also: way

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

something that you say which means people often intend to do good things but much of the time, they do not make the effort to do those things 'I kept meaning to visit her but I didn't get round to it.' 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions.'

See also: good, hell, intention, road

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pave the way for somebody/something

to make it possible or easier for someone or something to follow The procedure helped pave the way for successful open heart surgery using the heart-lung machine.

Related vocabulary: lay somebody/something open (to something)

See also: way